Paint Roller Sizes (Standard for Walls & Ceilings)

This guide shares the different paint roller sizes guide for standard paint rollers, nap sizes, how to choose, and the best paint roller & nap size for walls and ceilings.
One of the most common DIY projects for  homeowners is painting a room. A fresh coat of paint can be all it needs for an overhaul, and many homeowners underestimate the difference that a fresh coat of paint can make. More often than not, homeowners wanting to paint a room are first-time painters, meaning there are more errors when picking paint rollers to paint a particular space. 

Although paint rollers seem straightforward at first, and one may seem to work for any purpose, there are many things to consider, from size to roller cover fabric and pile height. Getting the right paint roller will make painting more manageable and give the best result.

Standard Paint Roller Size 

There are many sizes available for paint rollers, and to get the perfect one, the area where the walls or ceilings will be painted should be considered. If an average-sized wall is to be painted, getting a standard paint roller will be enough for the whole process.

However, if a wall is more extensive or if the ceiling is higher, there are bigger paint rollers that can be used for the project. Aside from that, smaller paint rollers are also available for specific purposes. 

Standard-sized paint rollers are typically measured to have a length from side to side of 9 inches or around 23 centimeters. This will be enough to paint an average wall and will often be the standard roller for most home painting projects.

There are also larger paint rollers that range in size from side to side at around 12 to 18 inches or 30 to 46 centimeters. This paint roller size is best for commercial painting for bigger spaces. 

For working on smaller projects like painting doors, narrower walls, or trims, smaller paint rollers are the best, and many are available in the 2 inches or 5-centimeter variety to the 6 inches or 15-centimeter ones. 

Paint Roller Nap Sizes

One important thing to consider is the paint roller nap. The nap of the paint roller refers to how thick the roller cover is. If how extensive the surface is essential to what paint roller you need, it is also something to consider when it comes to the paint roller nap thickness. 

The basic rule of thumb when considering the nap is the rougher the surface to be painted, the thicker the roller nap should be. A paint roller with a smaller nap will do the job more than adequately if the surface to be painted is smooth. 

There are many paint roller nap sizes to consider. The first is the 3/8-inch roller nap which is the best for smooth plaster walls or ceilings. A 1/2-inch roller nap is excellent to use for painting interior ceilings and walls. 

Choosing a painting roller with a 3/4-inch nap is best for painting rougher spaces like popcorn ceilings and house exteriors. To paint surfaces that are extremely textured, the best paint roller nap to use are the ones sized at 1 1/4 inches or around 3 centimeters. 

What Is The Best Nap Size For Painting Walls? 

Aside from being the fabric that covers a paint roller, a nap is more than its size. Paint surfaces will call for a specific paint roller nap, but the nap size or length of the roller fabric will also determine how much paint a paint roller will get to hold.

The rougher the surface to be painted, the thicker the nap size will be needed, and the more color it could carry to ensure that the surface is painted fully and neatly. 

Depending on how smooth a wall or ceiling is, there is no one best nap size. For smoother walls picking a nap size of 3 to 5 millimeters is the best choice. They hold a smaller amount of paint that could achieve that ultra-smooth finish. This nap is best for painting anything from kitchen cabinets to doors. 

The most common nap size is 10 to 15 millimeters. This is great for an even paint application to walls. For painting textured surfaces like popcorn walls or even bricks, a nap size of 18 to 26 millimeters is the best as it holds more paint to get deeper surfaces. 

What Size Roller For Painting Walls? 

Depending on your walls, the best paint roller to use is relative. However, there are two standard paint roller sizes that are commonly utilized for painting home interiors, and that is the large 9 inches, or about 23 centimeters paint rollers. 

The smaller 4 inches or 10 centimeters paint rollers are for nooks and crannies and are also best for painting fixtures like cabinets and doors. 

If the homeowner wants a bigger roller paint to cut the painting time in half, they can do so by opting to purchase a paint roller with a length of 18 inches or 46 centimeters from side to side. This paint roller size covers larger areas faster which can be beneficial for people wanting the paint job to be finished faster. 

The 9 and 18 inches roller paints are the choice of many professional home painters because of their versatility and bigger size. 

What Size Roller For Ceiling Paint?

The best paint roller size for painting extensive walls and ceilings are more oversized paint rollers. One of the best is the standard 9 inches, or 23 centimeters paint roller. Because of its more extensive size, it can cover more surfaces which can benefit the evenness of how color is applied to both walls and ceilings. 

Nap size for this size of paint roller should also be considered, and many professional painters prefer a paint roller with a nap size of 20 millimeters to paint ceilings. 

Because of its thicker nap size it will hold more paint, ensuring an excellent finish when the paint is dried. Higher quality 18 inches paint rollers with a nap size of 20 millimeters can also prevent unwanted paint splatters all over the floor and the painter. It is also because of these reasons that they are preferred by many homeowners wanting to DIY the painting of their walls and ceilings. 

Visit our paint brush sizes for more related content.